CLINTON — After Julie Schmidt, of Clinton, was introduced to cheerleading in the second grade, she was hooked. She hasn't stopped cheerleading since.

Schmidt was a Clinton Pop Warner (now Youth Football) cheerleader and, at Clinton High School, she was a member of the football and basketball cheerleading teams for all four years.

Now, entering her sophomore year at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst, Schmidt, along with 28 other women, will begin her second year cheering for the Minutemen both on the football field and the basketball court.

"From the very beginning, I've loved cheerleading," Schmidt said. "I cheered in the youth programs in town right up until the eighth grade and, then, I did high school cheerleading.

"One of the things I like best about it is you learn leadership skills," she said. "It teaches you to be more outgoing and how to talk to people, especially in getting fans involved in the teams you are cheering for."

The 19-year-old Schmidt, who is majoring in kinesiology, is part of a very competitive and demanding Division 1A college program. Every UMass cheerleader has to try out each year in order to make the team. This year, 65 women tried out for the team.

After the team is selected in the spring, there are three weekend practices in the summer, culminating with the four-day UCA (Universal Cheerleading Association) cheerleading camp, which this year was held at Scranton University in Pennsylvania.

This past week, four-day practice sessions began in preparation for the Minutemen's first football game against Boston College tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon, at Gillette Stadium.

Last season, Schmidt cheered for the football team at Gillette Stadium and at the campus gridiron, McGuirk Stadium, and cheered on the Minutemen at home basketball games at the Mullin's Center.

However, the UMass cheerleading squad was also part of other sports-related and charity events. The cheerleading team accompanies the basketball team to the Atlantic 10 tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and any NCAA/NIT basketball tournament games.

The team also represents UMass at many university and community events, including the Coaches vs. Cancer Boston Tip-Off at the TD Garden and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) walk at Six Flags New England.

"In college, you learn harder skills and there is so much more involvement on the college level," Schmidt said. "One of the things I really loved about cheerleading (in college) was, the second I got there, I made new friends.

"Going from a small town to a big school, it was nice to be part of a team right away," she said. "You would see the other girls on campus and it made it so much easier for you to get adjusted.

"Cheerleading is time consuming, but so worth it," Schmidt continued. "You go to different events and, this year, they have the new performance center opening (Champions Center) for basketball and we will be there for that.

"I really like cheering at the games and, with the band playing, the people at the games really get into it and care about the performances," she said. "I really love the college atmosphere."

UMass cheerleading coach Katie LaPlante, in her second year at the helm, is thrilled that Schmidt is part of her program.

"Julie is an absolutely wonderful, great kid," LaPlante said. "She is one of the best all-around athletes on the team, who has very good skills. She has a good personality and is very responsible.

"She has a very good mindset and is a leader on the team," she said. "She presents herself as if she has been on the team for years. The young girls look up to her, even though she is only a sophomore.

"Julie is all about cheerleading," LaPlante added.

In January, the UMass cheerleaders compete in the UCA national competition. This year's event will be held at Walt Disney World.

According to the UCA website, it is the most prestigious college cheerleading championship in the country.

"It is a national competition against the best in the country," LaPlante said. "We compete against Indiana, Kentucky, Rutgers and many other top schools.

"Our program has really taken off in the last couple of years," she said.

Former CHS cheerleading coach Courtney Powell is proud of Schmidt's many accomplishments.

"I coached Julie in her middle school years on the Montachusett All-Star teams, as well as in high school," Powell said. "It has been nothing short of an honor to watch Julie grow as, not only an athlete, but a person.

"Throughout my time coaching Julie, I have watched her grow into a dedicated and supportive leader, who is always willing to give back to the community," she said. "As a member of the UMass team, she is the first D-1 athlete to come from Clinton High in many years."